The Canadian Government continues its neglect for Environmental Responsibility

I still can't figure out why this thing won't let me post links, but here's the URL to the Globe and Mail article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ottawa-could-waive-thousands-more-environmental-assessments/article1197879/#page

The Harper government has been acting incredibly short-sightedly and ignorantly when it comes to the environment. Ever since he was first elected. Now, while we definitely need economic action and new infrastructure, no environmental assessments means the probability of serious environmental damage. It is a well known fact that infrastructure seriously disrupts wildlife and impacts habitats, but the real issue is this lack of concern in our government and in its policies towards environmental impacts and the fact that our needs and our economy are both dependent on the health of our environment.
In the Globe and Mail's article, they mention that the environment minister was speaking in Alberta. Now, Albertans often seem to have a tremendous pride in their province, and are very attached to their economy and are critical of environmental concerns. Just look at the positive and negative publicity surrounding the Oil Sands. But most people don't realize the current and growing problem of Environmental Refugees. In the Maldives, for example. These little islands in the Pacific are disappearing under the ocean. In the coming years the number of Environmental Refugees is going to swell IMMENSELY. But most Canadians, especially those who are ignorant or dismissive of our country's lack of environmental friendliness, concern, and reponsibility, are not aware that we have citizens in our country who are Envirnmental Refugees in their own land. Particularly due to oil development in Alberta. Alberta farmers are being displaced from their own land due to toxic contaminants. This should be outraging everyone in the country, yet people go on believing that our country has high environmental standards, as it should. We have about 50% of our Boreal Forest left, far too little wetlands left, and it's all still disappearing at an unacceptable rate. And now the Government wants to build sewage treatment plants without environmental assessments.
People just don't seem to realize that this is becoming almost criminally irresponsible, and that we should be conscious of what is going on in our country and actively trying to change things for the better.
Is it really so hard to assess environmental impacts and take some responsible measures to protect the ecosystems we depend on? Because we literally do depend on them.

Moving

This has been a month of being constantly busy. Moving on Tuesday/Wednesday. Have had practically no time to write and blog and stuff. Very tired, but gotta a lot more work to do.

Some Truth

DEAD PREZ AND GRIZZLY BEAR

The Economy

It's almost sounding like the rich and powerful of the world WANT hyperinflation in the near future. They won't have to worry about it because 50% of the world's wealth is now in the hands of 2% of the world's population.

Weariness

I'm currently typing this as I take a break from studying. I have a test in about two hours, that accounts for 20% of my grade. Man, I shouldn't have taken a summer course (despite how interesting it is). I've been marathon studying for the last while, as well as apartment hunting; I need to find a new place in the next few days. And then my paper is due a week from now, and it's worth 17.5% of my grade. I'm starting to bend under the weight of my month of June. Being so busy is the main reason for my lack of blogging. Right now its just nice to clear my head. It's been severely overloaded over the past half a year.
Yet here is a speech that when I first watched it grabbed me right in the heart. once again the TED talks have managed to inspire me tremendously. As I write this, I'm sitting on the 12th floor of the Hall building of my school, and very much engaged and appreciating and loving my education. I tend to spend a lot of time reading, researching, and watching documentaries, so I'm always learning. But right now I'm taking this course on the inner solar system, and learning things I probably wouldn't be able to learn all on my own. During the year I take geography courses where I learn an immense amount about the world; the benefit of geography is that it crosses the boundaries between the other disciplines; sciences, geology, planetary science, social studies, anthropology, sociology, history, etc. It's a great time to be in my line of study, too.
And yet I retain a serious problem with Academia, which I developed in high school. My self-education at the time was way ahead of what I was learning then, and I came to recognize a lot of serious faults with Academia and systematic education. It was and is very boxed in, closed minded, near sighted, and divisive in its disciplinary emphasis. It teaches knowledge, but not wisdom.
So what a thrill to hear and see this lecture, from Liz Coleman, president of Bennington College. For me, this video is an antidote to weariness.





Hell, yeah.

I just signed this petition for Iceland to stop whaling.

Please click on the arrow and sign as well; it may be more important than anyone even really realizes...

FUCK STEPHEN HARPER

How smart are we?

Click on the image to view it bigger.

Documentary on Bob Marley

part 1

A Documentary

Here's a neat documentary (baa hahahaha)

Bob Marley is one of my Heroes

Part 1 of a documentary on the album Catch a Fire. I and I come hear the words of Bob, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and the rest of the original Wailers, Rita Marley, and other great Rasta teachers. Some great interviews, speechifyin, and testifyin.
Another really good documentary is called "Life and Debt". It is all about Jamaica's economic situation, which is the same that has befallen an obscene number of other countries.

Bill C-15

Hunter S. Thompson

This youtube video is part of a full-length biography of Hunter S. Thompson, a favourite of mine among writers. He was way ahead of his time on environmental issues. He was fighting to keep Aspen a quaint little town full of intellectuals and free of conglomerates and time share ski resorts and stripmalls and capitalist development before anyone else could've conceived what was in store for Aspen. At the beginning of this video, they are talking about the riots and police brutality in Chicago during the Democratic Convention in '68. It was this destruction and political upheaval in the sixties and seventies that inspired him to first try to write about the Death of the American Dream. One can now really see what he was talking about when it comes to the Death of the American Dream. Although who knows what he'd think about Barack Obama. If you check out the beginning of the documentary, you'll hear what Hunter wrote on September 11, and his predictions are eerily accurate.
I was disappointed when I heard that Obama wouldn't be holding anyone accountable for torturing, and that they would continue trials of people in Guantanamo.
However what's as alarming and seemingly under-noticed around us right now of some fucked up political times in Canada. God knows what will happen. I for one am not sure about Micheal Ignatieff. I believe he's better than Stephen goddamn Harper. I was always an NDP guy.

John Lennon is one of my Heroes

I went to the Museum of Fine Arts yesterday to see the John Lennon and Yoko Ono exhibit. It was incredible.
I took a picture on my cellphone of a letter John Lennon wrote to the world, but unfortunately I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer. Here's what it said, though:

"Dear World.

I think we should have peace. Why don't we have it? I would like it today - so would my wife.
John Lennon, and many others

P.S. you should have seen his face."

Happy World Fair Trade Day